Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-04

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the step-by-step process of how electricity is produced by using geothermal energy, starting with pumping down the cold water and ending with producing the electricity.

Overall, the production of electricity involves five main stages, beginning with pumping the cold water to the geothermal zone and ending with using turbines to produce electricity.

In the first stage,the cold water is pumped down through about 4.5 km through the injection well to the geothermal zone where, hot rocks are available.Then, after the water is heated, the hot water is pumped up to the condenser through the production well.

Next, the hot water stored in condenser used to produce steam which is very applicable for the next stage. After the steam is produced, the steam is powered by using the generator and turbines. Finally, the electricity is produced by using turbines in the last stage and then it trasported to the people's home through the electricity tower.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview of the geothermal energy process and selecting main features such as the 4.5 km depth, the injection and production wells, and the electricity generation stage. However, some ideas are under-developed or contain minor inaccuracies in process description, such as stating that 'the steam is powered by using the generator and turbines', which confuses the mechanical sequence shown in the diagram. While the progression of steps from pumping cold water to transmitting electricity is present, the explanation of the middle and final stages lacks clarity and precision, placing this aspect of the writing firmly at the mid-level requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and sequential body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the stages, using sequencing expressions like 'In the first stage', 'Next', and 'Finally'. Nevertheless, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and referencing is occasionally faulty, such as in the sentence 'the hot water stored in condenser used to produce steam', where missing articles and awkward transitions disrupt the smooth flow of ideas. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, but overall progression between the sentences could be managed with greater flexibility to achieve a higher standard.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'geothermal energy', 'injection well', 'condenser', and 'turbines'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, but this is accompanied by some word-choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'steam is very applicable' instead of 'suitable', and spelling or mechanical errors like 'trasported'. Despite these occasional lexical lapses, communication is not impeded, and the range of vocabulary remains sufficient to convey the main steps of the diagram clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though attempts at complex structures frequently contain errors. There are noticeable mistakes in article usage, prepositional patterns, and verb forms, such as 'pumped down through about 4.5 km', 'stored in condenser' (missing an article), and 'the steam is powered by using the generator'. Punctuation errors also occur, such as a missing space after a comma ('stage,the'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of grammatical control.

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